Sunday Excursions

If you've never been to a place called "Le Chocolat Favoris" the next time you visit Quebec, you should make sure you locate one and take the time to drive there and experience it. Check it out by clicking on this link:

http://www.chocolatsfavoris.com/Accueil.shtml

I was told that no matter what time of day you go, there's always a line-up coming all the way out the door and that's exactly what we saw when we arrived and all the time we sat there to eat our scrumptious ice-cream. Oh man, I'm still full from that one!

Popcorn and Pepsi break by the cycling path.

Oh, and did you know that the special path allocated for cyclists only that I've been travelling on has not only one but two public pools to stop in at. And, did you know that all public outside pools in Quebec city are free of charge and you can stay as long as you want. Yup, I did that too.

Cargo Ship 

Before my lazy floating around the pool cooling off time, I biked to old Quebec again and watched some entertainers in the park for a while and rode further down the path on the Quebec side.

Horses in the park by one of the pools.

Tomorrow I want to go back to Levis which means I take the ferry across the St. Lawrence Seaway again. I would really like to bike the side I haven't done yet before I leave and time to leave is fast approaching. I'm hoping for an early start and a leisurely time by the water as well.

The Sights & Sounds of Nature

Another beautiful day with exceptional weather to enjoy nature and it's many gifts. Started off with some journal writing outside on the swing, followed by breakfast and a walk. Then Josee and I set out to do some cycling.

Morning Walk Path

Inukshuk with stones from the fleuve  

Looking up towards the sky.

Nest found on the ground

From Josee's  place we cycled to old Quebec and took the Ferry across to Levis. By the time we took the ferry across again we had biked 25 km. and by the time we got back home it was a total of 45 km.

There are such beautiful flowers all along the bike paths. I couldn't resist taking pictures of a few.

My bum leg was starting to give me issues by the time we walked into the house to start supper. Goodness, it's been some 30 odd years since I broke that leg. It's never been the same but I can't complain. It could have been a lot worse.

A Cycling Tour Picture Blog

A little journal writing before leaving.

Can it get any better?
The two lanes is the two way paths for cyclists. The single lane on the other side of the grass is for pedestrians. 

A ship about to leave.

A stop at the huge garden market for raspberries, kohlrabi and carrots.

I had lunch at the Sapristi sidewalk bistro 

Delicious Geek chicken salad done to perfection.

Ferry ride across the St. Lawrence to cycle on the Levi side.

The only way to get this photo is from on the ferry.

A stop to rest by the water.

Looking back onto shore from the beach I stopped at.

Cooling off by a log in the water.

Lamp Shades In The Sky

No I'm not dreaming and no I haven't been sipping on a bottle other than a diet Pepsi. There actually are lamp shades hanging in the sky. Many of them. Each one a unique piece of artistic endeavor that adds to the ambiance of "la rue Cartier." A street full of quaint little eating places on each side of the street, bars, boutiques, bookstore and other commercial places. It's a hangout place to take a leisurely stroll, have a bite to eat or go out for a drink and experience the night life.

What adds to the beauty and ambiance is the architecture of all the old buildings. So neat to see. I would love to go back to have a better look during the day. Some of the structures are so neat. And just around the corner, "The Plains of Abraham." This too I'd like to have a closer look when there's more daylight. I'm sure it would be quite a different effect. I'll see. There's no planned schedule for this holiday. It's more like .... hmmm....what do I feel like doing today? I like that.

View from the Planes of Abraham looking out to the St. Lawrence seaway.

Fun Day

It was a fun day. Sat outside in the swing to write in my journal this morning. Then I went for a walk for about a mile or so in a different part of the park than yesterday.

In many cities around home hanging clothes outside is not allowed but in Quebec it's something we see quite often.

Josee gave me a ride to the bike rental shop to go pick up my bike then her and I cycled our way to Old Quebec on the bike path that follows the Fleuve Saint Laurent. What a wonderful ride it was.

Explored old Quebec on foot. Went to grab a bite - a well known Quebec dish - a poutine. Then I topped it off with a pralines and cream ice cream cone. Not good for the waist line but I am pretty sure that between the biking and walking I did today I worked off those calories and maybe even more.

Part of a mural on a building

This one reminded me of buildings in New Orleans

Double deck tour bus

Calache

We've Landed

"How's Quebec?" Brenda asked.

"Hot, muggy and beautiful," I responded.

Our gracious hosts, Edith's sister and her niece, greeted us with open arms and served up a delicious dinner consisting of lemon chicken, potatoes, and corn on the cob that we certainly did justice to after our long day that started at 4 am this morning.

Travels went very well though. No delays. No hiccups. No hassle. The only not so great part was the 2.5 hour wait at the Montreal airport where the air conditioning was turned up so high we had to keep walking to stay warm. Which I suppose wasn't all together a bad thing after sitting on our butt flying above the clouds across Canada.

Hey, remember these? I thought they were extinct. Three or four of them at the Montreal airport.

After dinner, I went for a walk on my own and discovered another beautiful trail to walk in only minutes from the house where we're staying. Can't figure out how I missed it the first time I was here. Gorgeous, peaceful place for a stroll. I truly appreciate having different and new places to walk then my usual places at home.

I'm sure Pumpkin wouldn't be too happy with me tonight if she saw this guy sitting in my bedroom window. Kenya is slowly warming up to me. He's pretty timid but I'm thinking he just might be curling up on bed before the end of the week.

Tomorrow the plan is to go get the bike I've rented for a week. Can't wait to do some cycling exploration in this town.

It's Official

I am on holidays and here's a picture to prove it!

Ya, so, I'm a messy traveler. What does it matter? There are more important things in life after all.

Some of those things are, reading a good book, like my travelling partner is doing here.

And other things that fell in that category tonight were; a good soak in a hot tub, chats with the said travelling partner, a stroll around the block, a little journal writing and posting on my blog.

Yup, there's a lot better things to do on holidays than worry about putting things in order in a room I will only be in for a few hours to catch a few winks of shut-eye.

Shut-eye! I better start thinking about that. Will have to be up around 4:15 am or so to be at the airport in time to do the check-in, go through security, and board our flight.

There were a few little hiccups from the time we got up to when we settled into our room tonight but everything worked out and it's all good now so - watch out Quebec city, here we come!

Uncle Victor

At 2 pm tomorrow afternoon it is uncle Victor's funeral. Victor was the youngest of the family - the one I refer to in my book as the miracle baby because of his unusual conception and birth weight of a little less than 2 lbs back in January of 1934. He was the only relative I had left out of all my aunts and uncles on either side.

At the time of his birth, Victor was placed in a shoe box on the oven door of the wood stove which acted as a make shift incubator for him. Nothing short of a miracle for sure, especially in that day and age.

He was my favorite uncle because of the down to earth, authentic, no nonsense type of person he was. A good heart, good nature kind of man who was content with the simple things in life. I will always remember him for his genuine smile and boisterous belly laugh which could change the energy in a room in a matter of minutes.

Born: January 29, 1934

Death: July 16, 2016

Beautiful Sunday

What the heck? Can it really be a whole week since I've showed up here? I swear, time slips through my fingers like the fine sand in an hour glass.

What a beautiful day today. Not too hot, not too cold, not too many mosquitoes, not too much wind. Pretty much a perfect day I'd say.

I didn't get a bike ride in but I did get my 10,000 steps after a walk and my other meanderings of the day plus we got to share a wonderful meal and great conversations with friends on the back deck.

When the company left, Andree and I sat by the fire with our books until 10:30 or so before coming in to do other things. Those other things have now taken me to past midnight so I best think about getting my files ready for tomorrow's day of counselling which starts at 8:30 am.

Oh, I forgot to mention the beautiful sunset on one side of the house and the almost full moon on the other side.

Yup, it was indeed a good day!

An Overnight Escape

I had a couple of sessions on Saturday morning but by noon I was finished so I packed up a few things along with my bike and headed out to Winagami Provincial Park. There was a few good hours of sunshine when I got there, then the clouds came rolling in and not long after the thunder, lightening and rain.

I had to wait out in my SUV until it cleared up then I was able to cook a late supper and read my book by the campfire until midnight. After that I was ready to call it a night and snuggle up in my make shift car bed.

I woke up several times during the night, as per my usual, but was soon back asleep and holy jumping jupiters, would you believe it, I never crawled out of there until 10 this morning! I can't even recall a time when I slept in that late, except maybe when I was a teenager, so that tells you how long ago that would have been.

Today ended up being a beautiful warm sunny day which I thoroughly enjoyed. I read, wrote, walked, biked and sat in total appreciation of nature and the time to drink it all in. The wind rustling through the top of the trees, the birds singing their morning praise, the smell and sound of the campfire crackling and popping, and the sun beaming down on me filling me with life. It was good day.

I stayed until 5 pm then skedaddled home to shower and put all my stuff away before my honey got home. Yup, she's back and she had a great trip but she didn't last long tonight having traveled all day today. We had a chat for a while but once she stretched out and got comfy in her lazy boy chair she was sound asleep in no time.